Are We Really “Shocked” That Human Gene Editing Has Begun? TOM HORN’S “MILIEU” Certainly Wasn’t, And We Shouldn’t Be Either

The inventors of CRISPR are alarmed that the gene-editing technology is being used to . . . edit genes? Really? In late November, the MIT Technology Review broke the news that a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, used the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR to genetically modify human embryos. The embryos were then implanted, and earlier this year a pair of twin girls named Lulu and Nana were born. Most geneticists have denounced He’s reported actions, calling them, among other things, “profoundly disturbing” and “monstrous.” While the assessment is correct, I’m struggling to believe their professed shock. It brings to mind a scene from the movie “Casablanca” when Captain Renault declares that he is “shocked, shocked to find there is gambling going on in here” even as he accepts an envelope with his share of the take… (READ MORE)